According to the generally known state of the art, riveted connections for the above mentioned purpose of application can be obtained such that, firstly, holes are drilled through the abutting components which are to be connected by rivets. In the following, rivets having a rivet head of a larger diameter are inserted into the holes such that the distal end region of the rivet, which is positioned opposite to the rivet head, extends from the drilled hole to subsequently deform said end region by means of a riveting tool such that a firm riveted connection is obtained. It is a disadvantage of this connection arrangement that, during the pre-drilling process of the holes for inserting the rivets, chips are produced the removal of which proves to be complex, considering the multitude of riveting points.
As an alternative to the solution mentioned above, self-piercing rivets, as they are commonly called, are also generally known, which are urged through the components to be connected thus forming a firm connection with the components. To this end, however, a particular self-piercing riveting tool is required, the bottom die of which usually shows a coining ring to allow a deformation of material. The coining ring urges deformed material into indentions of the self-piercing rivet thus creating the firm connection. However, this damage leads to a deterioration of the mechanical properties, particularly, of the fatigue strength of the riveted connection and, in addition, it has the disadvantage that, in case of repair, the area to be drilled out needs to be considerably larger than the connection element such that the indented structure caused by the coining ring is also drilled out.
EP 1 541 464 A1 discloses a different connection arrangement for aircraft structure parts, which applies particular multi-part rivets. These comprise a rivet shank having an elliptical cross-section and a rivet head at the end, opposite from which a circular part with a reduced diameter extends coaxially from the rivet shank, which has on the outside a circular groove structure. Said circular part co-acts with a separate washer. When the washer is clamped radially from the outside, a firm connection between the rivet and the washer is obtained. The protruding part of the circular part will have to be removed subsequently. Also this connection arrangement requires an extensive chip-generating drilling of the aligned holes through the components, because the rivet cannot serve as a self-piercing rivet due to the circular part.